Now the selector moves back in time to the roots of reggae, exploring the greatest singles from the early ska era. Please feel free to suggest your favorite singles. The primary examination of the “Ska Originals” genre focuses on the founders of ska music from the late 1950s to the 1960s. Later posts will explore forms of ska music of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s: Two-Tone Ska and Third Wave Ska.

The classic ska bands and vocal groups of the era appear on this collection, including the famed The Skatalites, The Ethiopians, The Pioneers, The Soulettes, The Paragons, The Heptones, The Ethiopians, The Techniques, The Upsetters, The Baba Brooks Band, The Gaylads, and The Versatiles. Many of the great ska musicians have singles that made this chart, like Don Drummond, Roland Alphonso, Lyn Taitt, and Tommy McCook.

Ska music is fun and fast, yet a very easy-going music that sends you skanking around the room. I love this music. There are some wonderful characters that came out of this musical genre, performers like Prince Buster, Sir Lord Comic, Lord Kitchener, Stranger Cole, Lord Creator, and the Folkes Brothers. Plus the dynamite sounds of Byron Lee and the Dragonaires make for some of the most classic ska tracks. The Jam-Tex selector invites you to comment on the list and make suggestions.